I met Jim Koch the first month he began to pound the pavement to large retailers, restaurants, hotels, etc. ('83? '84?). He was a fun, cool guy then and still is now. He's had some of the same staff since day #1 when he moved here from his start-up point in Philly.

He may have only 1% of the American market after more than 25 years, but he did it (and does it) his way. Hats off! And he has helped many smaller boutique breweries get started. How uncorporate!

On the west coast especially, most English beers suffer quite a bit from their journey. I've never been all that fond of the Burton-on-Trent hard water beers like Samuel Smith's. I understand them, and my opinion would probably be reversed by experiencing them in their country of origin, but I just enjoy some other options more.

Honestly, though, for pairing with ice cream, I'd go for a stout with a bit more hop bitterness and/or a bit more residual sweetness, like a foreign style, or a Russian Imperial or maybe even a Baltic Porter.

As to Jim Koch, I'm happy for him. Over the years, some of his marketing has been a little annoying. And I think it's irritating that everything they do seems like factory scale (except the triple bock, which is a whole other chapter, best served with pancakes).

It seems to me that Koch has had a very positive impact on American Beer culture in a number of ways. First, there's no getting around the fact that he was on the forefront of the craft been revolution during that period (along with Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, Burt Grant, Rogue, too many others). So, I am terribly grateful that he filled the "factory scale beer from the east coast CAN HAVE FLAVOR" niche in the market.

Second, the lager recipe really is something special. There weren't many non-pee-colored lagers being made in America at that time, and the balance and uniqueness of that beer continue to really shine.

Finally - and I think this might be the biggest deal - is that he really elevated the conversation about hops. By steadfastly adhering to (and talking incessantly about) Hallertau Mittelfreu hops, he accomplished a number of things. He made people aware of different hop varieties. He used a variety that was not familiar to the American palate. And - for Americans, at least - he pioneered the idea of recognizing and celebrating a specific hop as the central flavor component of a beer.

I have been remiss... last week I was in VA checking out the area and seeing old friends. Peter casually mentioned that he had some of his porter in the fridge. Naturally, I had to try it. Fan-freakin'-tastic beer. Loved it. Couldn't really describe it for you now, but it was great. Not as great as seeing Peter et al., but, you know...

A friend from Seattle is in the area for a few days and we met in DC yesterday. He had been enjoying the not-shut-down museums and monuments all day when I arrived around 4pm to whisk him off to some beer and food highlights.

I relied heavily on the agenda Tom and I used when we met up last year. We had a few rounds at Church Key, where we found an empty booth right away. I had a Brew Dog Dogma (off-the wall beer with honey kola nut, and guarana), a Leroy Paulus (Flemish Oud Bruin style), a Racer 5 IPA (yum!) and probably one other that I can't recall. These were all half-size tasters. We then walked over to Pizzeria Paradiso. After waiting for less than 5 minutes we were seated at the pizza counter, which looks straight at the wood-burning pizza oven in the back. I had a Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (Saison) and a Bluebird Bitter (classic English bitter). The Bluebird was perhaps the most perfect beer of the evening. I could probably drink tens of those in a row. The pizza was fantastic, too.

After the great dinner, we walked back to my car, grabbed two bottles of my homebrew porter from the cooler, walked the the Mall, sat down at a picnic table with a fantastic view of the Washington Monument, and talked and imbibed. The porter tasted fantastic straight from the unmarked bottle in that setting.